Missing 71-year-old hiker near Mount Hood found safe

Share this story

UPDATE: A 71-year-old hiker missing since Sunday was found late Monday night safe and is "medically fine," said the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

The sheriff's office said Gary Marshall Tuor walked out with search and rescue crews.

Rescue crews used directions from an Oregon Army National Guard helicopter, which spotted Tuor's campfire, to reach the missing hiker.

Deputy Bryon O’Neil of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said, "He’s been medically checked. He’s fine. He’s going to be walking out on his own accompanied by our crews. Obviously, he’s in good shape because he was able to start a fire and able to stay warm."

O'Neil also says Tuor made a critical decision, once he realized he was lost.

"He did the right thing," said O'Neil. "And once he realized he was irreversibly lost, he stopped and stayed there and waited for us to find him."

Tuor was in good spirits after walking out of the woods with rescuers around 1:45 a.m. Tuesday morning.

And when asked about getting a good night sleep, Tuor had something else on his mind.

"The hot tub," Tuor laughed. "I was thinking about that on the way down."

Original story:

ZIGZAG, Ore. – A search and rescue team with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office is searching an area outside here for a hiker missing since Sunday.

The missing hiker is 71-year-old Gary Marshall Tuor from Sandy, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. He had gone hiking with 38-year-old Abel Caba, also of Sandy. They were both supposed to be back by 4 p.m. Sunday.

An Oregon Army National Guard helicopter with FLIR technology spotted a campfire just before 8 p.m., according to Portland Mountain Rescue. At this time there is no confirmation that there is anyone near or at the fire. Or whether Tuor is in the area. It is a four or five mile hike to the campfire area and may take rescuers an hour to get there.

The hikers were hiking in the area of Devil's Meadow Campground outside Zigzag, the sheriff's office said. It began to get dark and they had no flashlights. The two got lost and separated. Caba fell, knocked himself out and injured his shoulder.

Caba regained consciousness and made his way back to Tuor's car Monday morning.

When the hikers didn't return, Tuor's wife, Sandra Cleveland, called 911 Monday morning and then drove to the trailhead, found her husband's car and Caba.

The sheriff’s office has set up a command post on Highway 26 near Pioneer Bridle Trail and Tollgate Campground.

The sheriff's office called Portland Mountain Rescue at about 2:45 p.m., which sent nine members to help sweep trails.

It is believed Tuor's dog, a black lab named Buddy is with him. The sheriff's office says he's in good health and is familiar with the area.

Searchers plan to search all night and into Tuesday regardless of weather and darkness.